Teenager Joshua Warwick has been honoured at the 2022 England Football & McDonald’s Grassroots Football Awards national ceremony, being named the national winner of the prestigious Grassroots Rising Star of the Year award. The awards are now in their thirteenth year.
Joshua, 18, was coaching his local team when he became aware of a medical emergency on a different pitch. Joshua, who had no prior medical training, immediately assisted with CPR and used the available defibrillator. Thanks to Joshua’s efforts the player who had collapsed survived and inspired Joshua to champion understanding around Sudden Cardiac Arrests. He is currently working with the Nottinghamshire FA to develop training materials and to share his experience with fellow coaches.
Joshua approached local team Rossoneri FC and formed an U18 team encouraging disadvantaged young people to join for free without charging fees. Joshua accepted his award from football legend Martin Keown ahead of The FA Community Shield, which saw Premier League champions Manchester City play FA Cup winners Liverpool. During the half time break, Joshua joined the other winners on the pitch in front of the King Power Stadium crowd.
“Joshua is a true inspiration to the whole community and had a bright future ahead of him. That’s why I’m so proud to be here at the King Power stadium to honour these incredible winners. Joshua should be extremely proud of all of his accomplishments and I’m confident we will be seeing more from Joshua in the near future,” said McDonald’s ambassador Martin Keown.
McDonald’s is the longest-standing supporter of grassroots football in the UK, having worked with all four home nation FAs for the past 20 years. In addition to championing local grassroots heroes, McDonald’s is committed to giving thousands of children the chance to play football for free with its Fun Football programme, which provides introductory coaching sessions for kids aged 5-11.
For further information on McDonald’s involvement in grassroots football and to find out how your club could benefit visit www.mcdonalds.co.uk/football
